Heroes, yet Again
by Lou P.F
Summary: "If today I woke up with *you* right next to me, like all of this was just some twisted dream, I'd hold you closer than I ever did before, and you'd never slip away" Trust Me part three. T, because I am a paranoid freak.


**A/n: Sorry this took so long, I was doing something important**

 ***Doofenshmirtz evil incorparateeeeed~***

 **Uh- no, not that, that's my sister-**

 ***PERRY THE PLATYPUS, I-***

 ***sighs* alright, so I redsicovered Phineas and Ferb, kill me.**

 **But still, I went through some personal stuff that I'd rather not share here (Pluss life's a bitch)**

 **I'm tired of this. If I continue writing this, the chapters will be worse than they are now.**

 **So, I changed the plot a bit! Here you go!**

 **? – ? ?**

 **? – ? ?, ?**

 **? ?: ?**

He cracked his eyes open, just barely, a few millimeters. He was lying in a bed, in a room with white walls, a window, a table, two chairs and a TV. The bright light stung in his eyes. Where was he? Next to the bed he was laying in, one of the chairs sat. When he saw the chair, he almost jumped in surprise. A humansgirl was sitting in it. She had brown skin, and long, curly black hair sticking out in every direction.

Like some sort of black halo? Demonic- creature- what-

Tears were slowly streaming down her cheeks, and her eyes were glowing a soft, dull green that seemed to be dragging him in- as if he belonged in them. With her.

She was holding his hand, he realized, and blinked confused. The girl suddenly looked up at him, and her eyes widened in shock and surprise. "Oh!" she cried, and the next moment, she was hanging around his neck. Shocked, he raised his hands and hugged her back- on instinct, he realized later. He'd never been hugged before.

They sat like that for a long, long time, and he found himself more and more relaxed in the humansgirls grasp.

But then, she ended the embrace, and stepped away from him. "Are you okay?" she asked hurriedly. She sounded worried. Why in the seven seas would she be worried? He didn't know any humanspersons- did he? He wasn't even sure who he was, himself.

He nodded slowly to answer her. "Excusing me, but… who am I?"

The girl's eyes widened, and new tears formed in them. "Oh no… oh no, no, no, no. No, this is not happening-"

He frowned. "What is not?" All of this was just extremely confusing.

The girl sunk down in the chair again, and tears welled up in her eyes. "You don't remember?" she asked, her voice a hurried whisper, and he gulped. Behind those words, she hid so many emotions… "You- you're name is Oh. You're thirt- nine plus four years old, and you are the Boov captain," she told him slowly, and his frown deepened. Her voice struck something inside of him, stirred some memories to life-

 _'…_ _hate upon the Gorg!'_

 _'…_ _Smek!'_

 _'…_ _Shusher, I am captain'_

 _'_ _All hail, captain…'_

"Is not- is not Smek, captain?" he asked slowly, not sure what to feel, flipping through the short fragments he suddenly remembered.

The girl took a deep breath. "N-no. You are," she said, and he could see in her eyes that she begged him to remember, or at least accept. He felt an ancient urge to do as she pled- his head nodded without his agreement.

"And… and you, are? Who are you?" he asked, finally voicing the question he'd been wondering about for a long time. How would he know a humansperson? Apparently some time had gone since his memories, because he _obviously_ didn't remember becoming captain.

The girl let out a sob. "I am Gratuity Tucci."

 _'…_ _Gratuity Tucci…'_

 _'…_ _believe in soulmates?'_

 _'…_ _Paris…'_

 _'…_ _me!?'_

 _'…_ _my friend.'_

 _'…_ _you, Gratuity Tucci.'_

 _'_ _Tippy!'_

He could feel a spark of recognition, and quick flashes of memories flew past him, in front of his eyes, too quick for him to keep up with.

"Tip?" Gratuity Tucci urged.

 _'…_ _calls me Tip'_

 _'…_ _call me Tip'_

 _'…_ _find us!?'_

 _'…_ _Boov!'_

 _'…_ _family'_

And the memories ran past him, faster and faster and faster and faster- he shook his head roughly to focus.

"Your soulmate…?"

Oh gasped as a few memories came in place, so he actually could remember them.

 _'_ _I love you, too'_

 _'_ _Oh?'_

 _'_ _ **Never**_ _!'_

 _'_ _ **Mine**_ _!'_

 _'…_ _scared me so bad!'_

 _'…_ _Oh…'_

He swallowed and shot a look at Tip. She was staring at him, and he could see the love and affection and fondness and sadness and worry and- and _feelings_ shining in her eyes, now. "Do you remember?" she asked slowly, pressing, prompting, nagging, and strangely, he had no problems with it.

He looked down for a short moment. "A… little, maybe," he decided upon, and the next moment, Tip was hugging him again. He hugged her back, still both dazed and confused.

 _So, apparently, I have amnesia… she's my soulmate? But- aren't soulmates rare? How can I be sure that she's not… lying?_

 **I'd never lie to you!**

Oh scrambled a little backwards in the bed, away from her embrace. "-what."

With tears in her eyes, Tip reached out to him and placed her hand gently on his head. **I said… I'd never lie to you.**

"Okay, well I am to guess you are my soulmates then," he decided, his voice shaky. _Soulmate._ "What happened?"

He had, after all, apparently a lot to catch up on.

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The next few hours were spent with Tip telling Oh all about their adventure- and Oh found himself hypnotized, since, as she spoke, he could remember fragments. It was as if she was telling a fairy tale, but at the same time, he could see pictures of what was going on.

He found himself amazed, and when Tip finished speaking, he sat in a half daze. "Do you still not believe me?" Tip asked him, her voice sad.

"It is just- so much, at one time…" Oh tried to explain, but ended up with burying his face in his hands. "Tip, I-"

Tip made him go silent by placing a hand on his head. "Shh… I'll show you."

She gave him all her memories of their time together- everything, down to every little detail- and it was everything from her perspective. He felt her anger and sadness and joy through their adventure, her fear and panic when he nearly died, her surprise and joy when she found out about them being soulmates and that he was in love with her. He felt her pain, her sorrow, her love, anger, irritation, joy and hopefulness. Her peace. She shared everything with him, and it was as if he was going through something that wasn't his- it felt wrong, on so many levels.

"Do you believe me now?" Tip whispered. Oh closed his eyes, and, following an alien urge, he moved over in the bed and patted the mattress next to him. Tip crawled, without a word, into the bed next to him, where she sat silently next to him, resting her head on top of his.

Even though Oh couldn't remember any of their earlier moments by himself, couldn't remember how he felt through their adventure or how he felt about her, when they sat like that… in silence, in peace, just- being there, next to each other- he could understand that he loved her. And even if he couldn't remember that he loved her, his body did, his unconsciousness did and it brought his mind to peace about the matter that he could not.

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Oh sat in the hospital bed, with Tip next to him, and they were looking through many photos- in the last few months they had taken a surprisingly lot. With every picture, Tip had a short story to tell, and a memory to give away. Oh never really remembered them as if they had happened to him, simply because they hadn't. This was how Tip saw the situation, not how he saw it. It was- complicated, and though Oh knew about what had happened between the two of them, it felt like it had happened with another person.

It felt like he was watching a movie.

He still hadn't really gotten the hang of what had happened the day he stopped remembering. What Lucy Tucci, Tip's Mymom, and the doctors said was that he'd fallen down the stairs and hit his head.

What Tip added was heartbreaking.

 _"_ _Why can't I come with you?"_

 _"_ _Do not be such a baby" *laughter from both parties* "It is not as if I am going to forgetting you while I am gone."_

Someone kept on hitting the 'replay' button in Tip's head, and as long as they were in physical contact, Oh could hear and see it too.

He looked happy in the pictures. In her memories. He was _smiling_ , smiling without that sad glimt in his eyes. His skin wasn't tainted blue at random times, he was- laughing, and smiling and God, now he felt like crying-

There were times where Tip would randomly begin to sob, burst out crying with large tears streaming down her cheeks, pouring out of her eyes like rivers of emotions. And every time, Oh would take her in his arms, trying to sooth her- not because he remembered what to do, but because something in him urged him to do it. Urged him to make her feel good and happy again. And every, freaking time, Tip would grab hold of him and press him tight against her own body, curl up around him, crying onto his shoulder, and then she wouldn't let go for hours.

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It was hurting as hell, not knowing exactly who he was, or what he'd done with his life. Smek, Kyle and Toni had come to visit him a few times. They'd ask him what he remembered- he'd answer that he knew what had happened, but he couldn't remember much. Smek and Kyle would apologize; Oh would smile and say 'what for? You did not do anything wrong?', and the two Boov would turn deep blue before they hurried out the door. Toni would try to lighten the mood, and Oh found himself laughing more than once when he came to visit.

Toni made Tip laugh, too, and feel secure- Oh would rather have the BBB visit him then the other two, though he enjoyed all three of them.

He still couldn't remember anything, not from his personal experience. It was like reading a book or watching a movie, and then suddenly find yourself as one of the characters. You wouldn't remember exactly what had happened, you'd just know it. You did maybe know what you felt, but you couldn't remember feeling it. You did maybe know how that exact moment sounded, but you'd never heard it.

It was horrible.

And he just… couldn't understand and it was confusing and Tip and- and-

He groaned, and let his face fall into his hands. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see his skin turn deep blue. Not blue. Deep blue. But- he wasn't- wasn't depressed, was he?

How could he be sure?

He couldn't remember.

 **-? ? ?-**

 **? – ?**

 **? – ? ?, ?**

"Just remember, Oh, that if you suddenly can't remember anything, _tell us_." Oh blinked owlishly as Lucy Tucci walked in the door to his left, undoubtedly to fetch a cup of tea. The doctors had let him go home, now. They said they could not promise anything, but that there was a 50/50 chance that Oh would not recollect his memories.

"What?" he asked, looking at Tip. She gave him a small, wobbling smile, but gave up and walked into her –their?- room. To the right. Oh was left in the hallway, in the middle.

He sighed as his skin turned dark blue again. He slowly let his body slide to the ground, hiding his face in his shaking hands.

He really, really did not like this.

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At first, Oh wasn't so sure why he had woken up. He didn't have to do number one, and not number two either. Certainly not number three. He wasn't thirsty, nor hungry. There was only a slight pain in the bottom of his stomach, which shouldn't be enough to wake him up.

At first, Oh wasn't so sure why he had woken up, but then it hit him.

Tip was missing.

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He found her in the living room, sitting curled up in a chair. She had a flashlight in one hand –it wasn't turned on- and in the other she was clutching a frying pan. A saucepan was resting comfortably on top of the girl's dark curls. Her green eyes were glowing eerily in the darkened room. The only sound was a creepy tick-tock from a grandfather clock in a corner, and Tip's fast breath. "Tip?" Oh called, afraid of startling the girl.

"Something feels wrong," she whispered. "Can you come over here?"

Oh obeyed, walking over to her chair, staring expectedly up at her. She placed down the frying pan and opened her arms. Oh hesitated. She was still basically a stranger- but the look in her eyes was so desperate that he felt like he didn't have any choice.

He ended up in her lap, snuggling. "What is wrong?" Oh muttered silently.

"Something feels wrong," Tip repeated, her voice almost flat. "I don't like it. The air is buzzing with something, I can't put my finger on it," Her voice broke into a hysterical whisper, and her arms tightened around him. "Can't you feel it?"

"Show me," he muttered, almost not audible. She obeyed, sending him exactly what he wished for. The color drained from his face. "I know that feel."

"What?" Tip asked surprised. "What does it mean?"

"Death." Oh's eyes fluttered close. "It is meaning death, Tip,"

The girl almost dropped him, just as a loud, desperate knock sounded through the whole apartment. In the faint light from the streetlights, Oh could see Tip's scared face pale even further. "O-Oh?"

He swallowed. "Take the pan for frying," he told her, collecting his Ithemba and enlarging it.

"What's _that_?" Tip asked, shocked.

"Gift for you," Oh answered absent-mindedly (later he would realize that this was not a thing he knew at the time, though no one could explain what happened, or why he was acting so much like he was supposed to), pushing her in front of him. A new set of desperate knocks echoed through the building, louder this time. It didn't seem like Tip appreciated the gesture, as she huffed but took a few steps towards the door. Her breath shook. Oh swallowed again, tightening his hold on the Ithemba.

With almost an anticlimax, Tip tugged the door roughly inwards. A short figure fell through the door opening. Both Tip and Oh jumped backwards, a bit startled.

It was a Boov. A Big Brain Boov, to be more precise. In the dim light from the hallway outside, they could clearly see that something was wrong. The Boov's skin was looking like sandpaper, the color a sickening gray one, almost hurting their eyes. "Toni!" was Tip's startled gasp, as she rushed forward, dropping her frying pan. She helped him lean up against the wall. His breath came in small, hurried hiccups. "Help me here, Oh," Tip whined.

"I- I cannot touch him!" Oh cried, starting to panic. "Or I will be turning gray, too!"

Tip was about to say something, but was cut short as Toni gave a chocking sound. "C-captain," he groaned, and Oh sat down next to him, his skin already turning a deep blue. "Buh-be careful- the- the creepy pair, they-" he had to stop himself as he begun coughing.

Tip's eyes widened. "Oh, what's going on!?" she exclaimed. "And where's mom!?" Without waiting for an explanation, she turned on her heels, rushing to wake her mother.

"Toni-," Oh tried.

"No!" Toni gasped, desperately trying to push away Oh without touching him. "Captain, they- poisoning… you," he muttered and begun coughing again. "Me, too… they… you drank… something… poison…making you… forget"

His skin changed into another, deeper gray color. Toni gave a shuddering, heart-breaking gasp. "Be careful… Oh, they want… to kill… you…"

Tip rushed into the room again, with her mother in tow, just as Toni drew his last, sharp breath.

"Oh, what-" Lucy begun, but just then Toni burst into flames. Tip and Lucy shrieked, while Oh only jumped backwards, with wide, startled eyes.

The flames didn't catch onto anything else, fortunately, and Toni's body burned up pretty fast. "…is that supposed to happen when a Boov dies?" Tip asked shakily, shocked.

Oh shook his head slowly, as he sat down next to the ashes on the ground, his nose uncurled and his skin deep blue. "Tip…" he muttered, and the girl untangled herself from her mother, just to drop to her knees next to him. He screwed his eyes shut and climbed into her lap, hugging her tight. He needed comfort right now –even though he was a Boov he didn't have an ice cold heart, and he'd just seen someone _die_ \- and Tip was the only one who could give him that comfort. She hugged back without hesitating.

Something broke inside of Oh, and tears escaped his eyes, rolling down his cheeks faster and tighter than they had ever before.

He'd been poisoned.

Toni'd been murdered.

What a great start in his home.

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Surprisingly many came to Toni's funeral. Seven or eight BBB's, almost the whole Gaming Folks and their friends and/or family. Many were crying, someone were in shock. "Oh," Tip muttered suddenly, and the Boov turned towards his girlfriend, his nose uncurled, his skin deep blue. "Hug me?" she requested.

He did. He didn't even think about it. He just… hugged her. It felt almost empty.

 **Are you okay?** Tip muttered, taking him onto her lap, curling up around him as the other people in the funeral spoke between each other.

 _Yes,_ he answered. Empty.

Empty, so empty.

 _No,_ he decided upon a little later. And then, after a short pause, _I don't know._

 **Explain?** Her voice sounded tired, too.

 _I just don't know what to feel,_ he muttered, trying to explain. _He's gone, right? There isn't anything I've forgotten?_ He tended to forget some small things, like what he'd eaten for breakfast or whether he'd told Tip something or not. This happened more often than he thought, he knew, as Tip almost never told him if he'd said something before.

 **You haven't forgotten anything,** Tip assured him.

He sighed, shakily. _For once I wish I had._

The only answer was a tighter embrace.

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After a short rapport to Tip and her Mymom, they called the police. They investigated the matter, and, turns out, the Creepy Pair had been planning on making this gigantic Boov War Ship –because there had been a time when Boov were in war instead of running away from one.

They would kidnap several people to teleport them into some real-life versions of deathly games (such as Manor of Mirrors and Five Nights at Freddy's) to see how long they would hold.

Oh yeah, don't forget the part about conquering the world. That's very important.

Thanks to Toni, the police managed to jail them before they could finish the War Ship, although the fight was hard. (No one knew how Toni had figured out about the poisoning –or how it had been done or _anything at all_ , but he had known and he had told someone before he died). The Big Brain Boov –who, in the eyes of the government, had died a brave death- received a medal. Kyle joked about it being a Second Order of Merlin, but no one understood what he meant, so he quickly stopped.

Neither Tip nor Oh cared much about it. They missed their friend. Everyone did, but no one could do anything about it. Of course they couldn't. Oh could only sing the Death Song, and that didn't change much. Chaos, chaos, chaos and feelings.

There were times Oh whished time would just stop, but…

it never did.

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"Hey,"

Tip whirled around, causing Oh to do the same. The feelings pulsing through her made him hesitate, however, and a spark of a memory broke loose in the depths of his mind.

 _'…_ _building…'_

The random hugs and kisses. _Shit_.

It was _all of her feelings from that time,_ pressed together in one-

"What are you doing here!?" Tip asked, voice shrill, as she backed off a few steps. Oh took a step closer to her. The boy she was talking to was about a head taller than she was. His hair was dark brown, his eyes the same and his skin shockingly pale.

"Listen, Tip," he said, taking a step closer. He seemed very sure of himself, Oh noted, as the stranger stepped out of the shop they'd just passed. The two of them were visiting the mall together. Oh wanted some new books –to read, not eat, as Tip thought- and Tip needed some stuff for school.

"Gratuity," Tip snarled, and Oh snapped back to the conversation at hand. He was beginning to get worried now.

"What?" the boy asked confused.

"It's Gratuity, for you, _Leonardo_ ," she repeated, and took another step backwards. Oh stood his ground, and didn't notice that he was basically standing in front of his girl.

The boy looked hurt. "Hey, hey! Tip, come on, I've come to say sorry for what I did to you," he said, placing a hand on Oh's head, pushing him aside. He took a step closer to Tip. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her lips and back again.

Till now, Oh had stayed in his position, even when the stranger pushed him aside. He knew that Tip could mostly take care of herself, and as long as she wasn't scared, that was no problem. Until now, she _hadn't_ been, just a bit uncomfortable and a tad angered. Though whatever the boy had done, Tip was now slightly frightened. Not enough to actually care about, she probably didn't even notice it herself, but it was there.

Oh's skin changed a bit, yellow and at times red stripes covering his body. He didn't interfere, however, since Tip still hadn't asked for help or anything.

Some instincts flared to life in him when Leonardo stepped even closer, causing Tip's back to hit the wall behind her.

Ancient thoughts sprung forth, thoughts like _my territory_ , and _possessive_ , but still, he didn't interfere.

" _Nothing_ can make up for pushing me off a _fucking_ _building_!" Tip snarled desperately, and tried to push Leonardo in his chest. She exploded in held back fear, gritting her teeth. Something snapped inside of Oh, an old memory sparking to life and forgotten feelings flaring up.

Oh didn't know that he'd moved, but suddenly Leonardo stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. Oh's skin had turned bright, hot red. " ** _You stay away from her_**!" he growled, in English, pressing the Ithemba closer to the frightened boy's throat.

You see, the Ithemba wasn't just a stick anymore. Oh'd… _decorated_ it slightly, with sharp metal on both the spear part and the… knife part. Giving it a metal handle plus actually decoration here and there made it look like a deadly weapon. Something it of course was. "Oh!" Tip exclaimed.

" _You fucking idiot!"_ he growled, this time in something sounding eerily much like ancient Boovspeak, ignoring her. " _You pushed her off a fucking building!? Are you the same fucker who hurt her in her fucking past!?"_

Again, he wasn't aware that he moved, but he'd apparently begun to hit the boy with the metal handle of the Ithemba. "Oh!" Tip cried, jumping forward and dragging him backwards again.

 _"_ _Are you perhaps the same man-whore who put her in a bloody wheel-fucking-chair!?"_ Oh snarled, trashing around in Tip's arms, trying to break free without hurting her. He wasn't even thinking anymore, and red fog was appearing in front of his eyes.

 **Oh, calm down!**

This once, Oh refused to listen. His accusing turned into incoherent swearing, added with primitive growls and snarls.

Through the red mist, Oh could catch a few other Boov talking together. " _What is he doing?"_

 _"_ _I do not know. It sounds like ancient Boovspeak. Captain JLo must be really angry, to use such foul language."_

 _"_ _I think that boy tried to seduce his soulmate,"_

 _"_ _Now that would explain it,"_

You would've thought that hearing his captain name would've woken him up from his daze, but it didn't. All Oh could think was that the boy in front of him had hurt his precious Tip.

 _"_ _You fucking crushed her whole fucking right side, you motherfucker!"_ he cried again.

"Whoa, thanks, Tip," Leonardo muttered, breathless. "That animal was really angry, gee,"

Oh stilled perfectly in Tip's arms as she did the same. " _Oh, no you did not,"_ he said, gleefully.

Tip let go.

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They didn't get in too much trouble. Tip dragged Oh away from Leonardo after a little bit, and told everyone that he'd slipped out of her grasp. Leonardo took all the blame (although it took a little bit of threatening).

When Tip asked Oh why he'd reacted in such a way, his answer was a joyful one. _'I was to remember something. You, telling me about the mate class pushing you off a building, and- the random hugs. Kisses.'_

He was surprisingly proud of himself.

Tip was even happier.

Though, no one knew whether Oh would regain his memories or not.

 **-? ? ?-**

 **A/N: And** ** _boom_** **there you have it, the crappiest ending** ** _ever_** **.**

 **Trust Me – Part Three  
** **Heroes, yet Again – Chapter Three, Red Glow of the Sun**

"Hey Oh?" Tip asked, poking her head into the room Oh was sitting in, fiddling with some sort of electronic device. His head turned so fast Tip winced, afraid that it might hurt. She caught the flicker of dark blue on his skin.

However, tears were brought to her eyes as she locked gazes with him. It felt as if the Boov in front of her was a different one than the one she'd fallen in love with. The one that was her soulmate. Don't get me wrong, she was still deeply in love, but his expressions, his ways of talking- it was as if some things had never happened with him. With them.

The worst part was that some days he was closer to the one she'd known before he lost his memories. Like the day, Toni had stumbled into their apartment, and just a few days ago, at the mall, when Leonardo suddenly made an appearance. Other days, he would hesitate to even touch her- as if they were strangers.

This day was one of these. The eyes looking up on her were wrong- the deep green speckles were completely missing. Yes, she knew that her eyes had changed slightly, but she wasn't the only one. Oh's had changed, too.

"Mom's wondering if you'd like to go to the beach with me," she told him, stepping into the room. She ignored the impulse to hug him, to cuddle with him into tomorrow- her instincts were so torn between distancing herself from him and staying closer than ever that she didn't even know what to feel anymore.

His face split into an unsure smile. "Of course, I would be loving to go the beach," he said, getting up and stuffing away the device. His skin had taken a bit more blue-ish color than the purple she was used to. A part of her soul screamed in agony, while another part of her was completely silent about it all. He was depressed and she didn't know why, she didn't know what to _feel_ , she didn't know what to _think_ and _bloody hell why couldn't someone else do this for her why the fuck couldn't an adult tell her it would be fine already-_

"Sweet," she said. Both of them ignored what passed between them as Tip left the room, changing into appropriate clothes.

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They weren't even talking together anymore. They were just… walking. Silently. No jokes. No communicating. And the air had quickly taken on an awkward touch. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, almost touching the water, almost turning the sky red. Almost telling of a new story, a new time, but not _yet._ She wasn't sure why, but the sight saddened her.

Some sand found its way into Tip's sandal, but she savored the feeling. Next to the light breeze caressing her cheeks and moving her hair slightly, it reminded her about the fact that she was alive, things could become better, she was okay, he was okay, the problem was _them-_

…

the sand didn't help.

"You want to bathe? I want to bathe," Tip suddenly said, turning towards the water. She hadn't planned on this, but she needed to feel alive. Oh's eyes lit up, even though he raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Is the water not cold?" he asked, but it didn't stop Tip from quickly removing her creamy, summer dress. How _convenient_ that she was wearing a swimming suit just beneath-!

…

okay, so maybe she had planned this. But she needed to _know,_ dammit.

She ignored Oh and ran into the water; diving forwards before letting her body realize that _bloody hell but was the water cold_.

She slid through the water, the almost ice cold particles stinging her body, making her _feel_ , actually _feel_ , and in a few, short seconds everything was perfect, blissful, _silent_. But then her body couldn't take it anymore, and she surfaced. "Whoah, okay, so that's a yes then, definitely cold," she muttered to herself, using one hand to remove her hair from her eyes so she could see well. She turned around to check if Oh was coming anytime soon, but was met with a confusing sight. The Boov was frozen just a few feet in the water, eyes glazed over and distant, even though they were fixed on her. "…Oh?" she asked, calling his name through the link. _Please don't be hurt_ , she begged. _Please let me wake up from this nightmare soon_.

He started, shaking his head. "…Tip?" he muttered, unconsciously pushing it through to her.

A jolt of electricity sparked down Tip's spine, leaving her numb in a way the water couldn't, as she recognized the tone, the sound, his whole _being_. "Oh-" she breathed, and immediately begun swimming towards land again, trying to meet him half way as he dived into the water in an attempt to reach to her. She didn't ask how, didn't ask why, because that blissful feeling was back, and-

Tip didn't have to see Oh's eyes to know that the green speckles were back.

Besides, she didn't have the time to look for that.

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"Mom!" Tip cried, bolting through the door, hair still hanging wet in front of her face, water trailing down her body like she was some kind of- of goddess or something, and by god she wasn't thinking rationally, but-

"You have been gone for _ages,_ young lady, the sun has set and it's dark outside- Tip, have you been _swimming_!?" her mom asked, scandalized, as she ran into the hallway. "Why have you been _swimming,_ of all things?"

"Mom, mom that's not important," Tip hurried to say, holding up her hands, and taking a step backwards. Without her permission, her lips broke out into a wide, impossible smile.

"…you're smiling," her mom realized, faltering right before starting her rant. "You're smiling, why are you smiling, what happened-? Tippy, you're _smiling,_ you haven't smiled for _days,_ tell me what happened-!"

"Look," Tip muttered, and opened the door to the hallway slightly, just a creak.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" her mom asked.

"This," the young girl answered, and held out her hand through the crack. When she brought it back, attached to it was a pink Boov smiling nervously.

"Hello, Mymom," Oh muttered, waving slightly with one hand.

There was a short silence, before Lucy Tucci, Tip's mother burst into tears right in front of their eyes.

 **LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE**

Later that night, when Tip had cried out all the tears she thought she had (and then cried a little bit more) and said 'I love you' until her throat felt sore, the strange couple found themselves on the roof again, morphed into one form, just a tangle of limbs. Tip smiled up at the sky. This was what she'd missed. This was what she'd needed. "What made you remember?" she muttered, her voice a mere whisper in the night, her chest raising and falling again as she breathed, waiting for an answer.

 _Do you remember when we crossed the atlantics?_ Oh said over their link. A warmth spread through Tip's body. He didn't like to use the link while missing his memories, but now-

 **Yeah** , she told him.

 _Remember I told you that I'd return?_

It took a few moments, she had to admit that. But then it clicked. **Oh my God, Oh,** she gasped, and sat up. He smiled at her. _I don't know how,_ he admitted, _but somehow it woke me up seeing you dive into the water like that, in a way that was eerily like the one I did._ Tip listen fascinated as Oh told her about all the times he'd promised her that he'd always return, always come back, even when she didn't –or couldn't- hear.

"But- Oh…?"

He nodded silently, turning his head upwards to study the stars. "Do you love me only because we're soulmates?" she asked, and curled up next to him. He started, before shooting her a shocked look.

"Of course not," he told her. "The soulmating made it possibility, yes, but I fell for you all on my own,"

She wasn't sure why it was such a relief. She couldn't explain it, but it was there, the relief. "How can I make you sure that I love you, you know, besides the link?"

Oh smiled softly, moving so he sat directly in front of her. _I know that's not the case_ , he told her gently, and pressed his lips to hers in a short second before pulling back. _The link doesn't create any feelings. For the bonding to work, the words you speak have to be true. Besides, it only strengthens the feelings, it doesn't create new ones._

They were silent for a few seconds, before Oh added a small _besides, I can see it in your eyes._

Tip could feel Oh's relief reflecting in her own as she looked seriously at him. "Oh, I love you so freaking much right now, okay? Don't you ever dare doubt that," she whispered, and shifted so she sat at her knees. They sat in silence a few more seconds. "Oh, I-"

"Shh… I know," he muttered, reaching out and placing a hand on her cheek, caressing it, pushing away hair from her face, looking into her eyes. In the brief light from the lamps just down on the street, Tip could see the blue in his skin clearer now. Normally, it was almost not noticeable, and she doubted he even knew about it. But it _was there_ , the proof that he'd been depressed, even if it was only for a short while. Proof that she hadn't been there for him when he needed her. "I was missing you, too," he muttered, and leaned in to press his lips softly against hers.

Tip reached out after him, hungry. If she couldn't be there for him then, she would be even stronger there now.

She didn't need the cold water anymore, she decided. This was more than enough.

 **-End Trust Me-**

 **A/n: and there you have it! Boy, this has been a long ride. And a pretty bad one, too, but- you know, this is the first actual one hundred percent serious fanfiction I've published and finished, I- I'm proud!**


End file.
